Category Archives: Search Engine News

According to TUAW.com, the new Maps application in iOS 6 Gold Master has changed drastically… for the worse. Former TUAW writer and founder of Rocky Mountain Mac Repair, Josh Carr, reported that the new application performs poorly and “is a tremendous step backwards and something that cripples iOS for Apple’s customers.”

Carr reported that the once-Google-powered keyword search has been replaced by Yelp. Users are now limited to Yelp’s database which isn’t as large as Google’s and they must search using Yelp’s exact categories. This severely limits the businesses that show up in search. Previously, Google Maps keyword searches for businesses or restaurants would show tons of local business names and points of interest; according to Carr, that isn’t the case with the new Apple Maps.

According to the comments below the TUAW article, other users agree. One person calls Apple Maps “a horrible mess” while another person commented “the search functionality is horrid.” However, not everyone thinks Apple Maps is step backward. One commenter wrote, “I completely disagree. I installed iOS 6 GM and used the new Maps app all weekend and was blown away at how well it worked and how much nicer the user experience was.”

We’re interested in your opinion! If you’ve tried the new Maps application, what did you think of it?

Bing recently added a feature that allows users to search for photos shared by Facebook friends using the search engine. This feature is an expansion of the social sidebar Bing launched in May that integrated Facebook into the search results.

Bing Social Sidebar (Facebook integration)

Now friends’ photos relevant to your search query appear in the social sidebar along with other results. When a friend’s photo pops up, you are able to click on it and browse that entire photo album on Bing. The Bing Friends’ Photos landing page also allows you to see all your friends’ photos on one page (the format looks very similar to Pinterest). You can also see your own albums and photos you’re tagged in with comments and “likes” in the sidebar. Users can also comment, “like” and share the photos directly from Bing.

Bing Friend's Photos landing page

The new Facebook photo sharing on Bing will let you keep up with your friends’ photos that you otherwise may have missed on Facebook. Does Bing’s new integration with Facebook encourage you to ditch Google as your go-to search engine?

According to Mashable, Google+ recently began rolling out its new vanity URLs. These URLs let users customize their profiles and make it easier for the user to direct others to their page or profile with an easy-to-remember web address.

Currently, each user has a long string of numbers as the link to their profile. (Ex: https://plus.google.com/u/0/106309878296259417958/posts) It’s impossible to remember and makes it hard for businesses to direct customers to their Google+ page. The new vanity URLs will allow users to choose a shorter, memorable URL that they can easily tell customers to visit.

Vanity URLs are only available to popular brands and celebrities on Google+ now (like Britney Spears, Toyota and Delta), but soon the company will make these available to everyone.

Will vanity URLs encourage you to use Google+ more often and send more customers to your page?